Railroad-car



MILLS & ARPENTER.

Car Coupling.

Patented July 5, 1859.`

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N.PETRs, PHDTO-LITHOGRAPHER, wAsHxNGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

R. L. MILLS AND PAUL CARPI'INTER, OF LANCASTER, OHIO.

RAILROAD-CAR COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,651, dated July 5, 1859.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it knoivn that We, R. L. MILLS and I). CARPENTER, both of Lancaster, in the county of Fairfield and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Car Couplings; and We do hereby declare that the same are described and represented in the following specication and drawing.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our improvements We Will proceed to describe their construction and operation referring to the drawings in which the saine letters indicate like parts in each of the figures.

Figure l, is a side elevation of a car coupling With our improvements, one side being removed to the right of the broken line .2', .2 to shoiv the interior. Fig. 2 is a plan or top vieiv.

The nature of our invention consists in the arrangement of a sliding frame in connection With a vibrating frame and locking key as will be hereafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, A, is a bar having the bell mouthed coupling box B, at one end made in the form shown in the drawing with an opening C, to receive the end of the coupling link D, Which may connect this coupling to a similar one, or to most of the pin couplings in common use on railroads.

L, is the locking key to hold the link D, into the coupling' box, made in the forni shown in Fig. l, of Wrought or cast iron, and When made of the latter the rear part of the key Where the link is drawn against it, may be chilled in casting, so as to render it very hard, in a manner Well-known to foundry nien. In Fig. l, this key L, is represented in the position to hold the link D, in the box; and it is also represented by broken lines in a raised position so that the link D, may be drawn out of the box to uncouple the cars. The pin F, shown by dotted lines in Fig. l, passes through the upper part of the box B, and through the corner of the key L for it to vibrate on, When it is raised to receive or release the link D, in connecting or disconnecting the cars. The corner of the key L, through which the pin F, passes is mounted as shown in Fig. l, and fitted to a curved recess in the box B, so that if the pin should get loose and Work out, the corner of the key being fitted to the curved recess Would prevent it from rising, so as to release the link: the top of the key being provided With a fiange G, Gr, on each side which rest on the top of the coupling when the key is in place. The rear end of the key L, extends back with a curve H, to hold doivn that end of the link that is in the box and hold up the opposite end so that it Will be high enough to enter the coupling box on another car.

There is a recess I, in the bottomof the box B, which the key enters as shown in Fig. l, and there is an opening from the bottom of the recess I, through the bottom of the box. as shown by dotted lines. The middle of the yoke J, see Fig. 3, is hinged to the rear top corner of the key L, to raise it and release the link when the cars are to be disconnected. The yoke J extends across the top of the box and its legs extend down each side, and are hinged to the yoke K, the legs of which yoke also extend down each side of the box and are arranged to traverse in grooves in the sides of the box when drawn up by the rod N, to raise the key, and release the link. The rod N, when applied to burthen cars may be arranged to traverse in stands fastened to the end of the cars; and may have a handle P, to raise it by and a plate Q, fastened to its upper end so that the engineer by looking back can see when the rod is raised to disconnect the carsand know when to start his engine. This coupling is intended to be self connecting when the cars are run together, so that the end of the link Will raise the key as it passes into the box and allow it to fall down into the link so as to connect the cars.

le believe -We have described our improvements in railroad car couplings so as -to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use them.

IVe will now state what We desire to secure by Letters Patent, to vvit:

IVe claim the arrangement of the sliding frame K, and vibrating frame J, in combination with the flat-locking key L, the Whole being constructed and arranged for joint operation substantially as set forth.

RICHARD L. MILLS. PAUL CARPENTER.

litnesses ALFRED MCVEIGH, CHARLES JENNINGS. 

